Can books teach us anything about our leaders today?
*Argue which tragic elements from your new novel and Oedipus Rex are displayed.
*You may wish to compare and to contrast the 2 books you have read (or should now be reading) using Oedipus as the "perfect" tragedy.
*Does your book display tragic elements? If so, explain what aspects are (or are not) present:
*What new information have you learned about Sophocles or about tragedy from the REQUIRED database search? Copy/paste this to the end of your blog posting
*You may incorporate feminism, historical elements, comparison to Shakespearian tragedies, hubris, hamartia, catharsis, or any other tragic elements. You may also argue that your book has no tragic elements, but be careful to back up with quotes/evidence.
*We should have most of Oedipus covered by now as well, but if we did not finish in class, add in content we have covered most recently.
You may discuss any beginning segments of your new novel, but do not spoil the end of the book (yet). If you need more tragedy elements, please consult our notes, Sophocles notes, and/or the "pure" definition by Aristotle in these 2 websites here and here.
Funny pun names based on anything Greek or Oedipus--encouraged :)
For full credit, you MUST have quotations as support of your points from both texts, you MUST show reading and avoid online summary info, you MUST respond to a minimum of 2 posts. Points will be deducted for those students who wait until the last 12-24 hours, for spelling problems, repeating information already stated, confusing responses, attacking classmates verbally, simply agreeing without saying much of anything, or off-topic commentary.
------APA documentation must be used----
DATABASES REQUIRED FOR THIS BLOG, but your argument will be judged harshly, so be prepared to defend yourself!
**This blog will end at 11 a.m. on 10/28. Remember that starting on the last 12-24 hours prior will result in loss of points since your discussion will be limited.
Test
ReplyDeleteIn the book, The girl Interrupted, the main characters struggle from a wide range of mental disorders and illnesses. This book also makes a point of the way women were perceived and so easily diagnosed just two decades ago. To me, this in itself is a tragedy. In the main character, Susanna Kaysen's case, her diagnosis was Borderline Personality Disorder. "I have a few more annotations to my diagnosis. 'The disorder is more common in women.' Note the construction on the sentence. They did not write, 'The disorder is more common in women'..." (Kaysen, 1993, p.157). This book is also based on the women she meets in McLean Hospital and her life after it. She compares her life to a painting "Girl Interrupted at Her Music" (Kaysen, 1993, p.167). She feels that when she was sent away to the mental institution at the age of 17, her life was "interrupted". I consider this a tragic element because of the unfairness and discrimination women face not only in this novel but in reality as well. It reminds me of the beginning of the play Oedipus Rex, where the person in power (Oedipus) is living life unbothered while people in his city are dying. Later in the play characters in the book, like Teiresias reveal he is corrupt, just as these mental facilities, and doctors were to Susanna.
ReplyDeleteMy first quote I used got messed up, it was supposed to say "I have a few more annotations to my diagnosis. 'The disorder is more commonly diagnosed in women.' Note the construction on the sentence. They did not write, 'The disorder is more common in women'..." (Kaysen, 1993, p.157).
DeleteI think that in the beginning of the play Oedipus does actually care about his city dying. He shows anguish and attempts to solve this problem with advice from the gods and Creon. I think he is somewhat hypocritical because he is the one who caused the plague. I like how you compare your book to Oedipus. The corruptness of the play and your novel coincide well together. Are there any other ways that your book and Oedipus mesh or go with eachother?
DeleteAnother thing I feel that connects Oedipus Rex and most of the characters in the girl interrupted is how they deal with their personal problems, or in this case, tragedies. In one of the first chapters of The Girl Interrupted, you are introduced to a character named Polly. Polly poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire. After many years of living unbothered, Polly finally realizes what she had done to herself, and she never returned to the girl she was before. After Polly's psychotic break her peers began to realize this as well. "We might get out sometime but she was locked up forever in this body" (Kaysen, 1993, p.19). I feel this is significant to Oedipus rex because Oedipus was so reluctant to believe Tiresias' knowledge of the sins he had been accused of committing. Oedipus then gets angry with Tiresias for these accusations, not knowing what is to come. "Tiresias leaves, branded a traitor and charlatan by Oedipus and very doubtfully defended by the chorus" (Lattimore, 1975, p.1). When the truth finally was revealed, Oedipus too went into a spiral. It ended so badly he blinded himself, and in a way, was locked up in a new awful life when he had realized what he had truly done.
DeleteDadabase:
Lattimore, S. (1975). Oedipus and Teiresias. California Studies in Classical Antiquity, 8, 105–111. https://doi.org/10.2307/25010685
How is discrimination against women connected to oedipus? Is Jocasta portrayed as a strong independent women or more of a weak woman controlled by the men in her life.
DeleteI think I'd compare many of the women in The Girl Interrupted to the towns people with no help, while they suffer from the "black death". Both groups of people I am talking about are discriminated against in different forms. To answer your other question, I feel Jocasta is very intelligent and independent. She not only showed some power over Oedipus when he attempted to execute her brother, but I feel she is intelligent as well. I am almost sure she had something to do with the previous kings death.
DeleteWhen you say, "the main characters struggle from a wide range of mental disorders and illnesses" maybe show some examples of the different disorders different people have to give people reading this comment some insight about this book if they have not read it.
DeleteThere is actually a whole separate play dealing with the discrimination of women at this time by Sophocles, it is called Antigone who is the daughter of Oedipus.
Delete'Oedipus Rex' and my book 'The Great Alone' both contain elements of tragedy, in that the characters find themselves in situations that they once thought would be beneficial to them, but now their positions serve to undermine their lives. In ‘The Great Alone’, it is done via Leni’s father and his worsening mental state as the winter closes in. “‘I don’t like all this end-of-the-world rhetoric, Ernt. And there’s Leni to consider. She-’ Dad slammed his fist down on the table so hard everything rattled. ‘Damn it, Cora, can’t you ever just support me?’” (Hannah, 2018, p.113). I see this as tragic because Leni’s dad, Ernt, shows hubris here via refusal to acknowledge what his wife, Cora, is trying to explain to him. Ernt is focused on his own ideas of the future and the world around him, much like how Oedipus refuses the words of the prophet Tieresias, despite the fact that Tieresias, like Ernt’s family, speaks the truth, which he often opposes due to his mental illness and the influence of his own friends. “You blame my temper but you do not see your own that lives within you; it is me you chide.” (Sophocles, 1991, p.24). Oedipus tends to disagree with anything he doesn’t like, getting very angry over it similar to Ernt.
ReplyDeleteSophocles would often focus on politicians and Greek politics in his city of Athens, showing a deep understanding of politics and political corruption.
Sophocles. (2020). Oedipus Rex. [electronic resource]. Open Road Media. https://bit.ly/3Dy8hVX
Why do they do that? Is there a bigger reason or are they just selfish like that? In Oedipus it almost seems like he is just selfish and denies everything to me, but within your book does it go more into if he is selfish or there are reasons for his behavior.
DeleteI think it is very interesting to draw a connection in Hubris in your character and Hubris in Oedipus, but I also believe that connection has more to it. The root cause of Oedipus' Hubris is his anger and stubbornness that he had his entire life. If i am not mistaken, at the book discussion you stated your character had some form of mental illness that made him the way he is. Therefore both characters act a certain way, but do it from different places.
DeleteHow is the one a database@ Sisyphus
DeleteMy individual book 'The Quiet Room' has several tragic events which steer the main character "Lori" into corrupt situations. The most prominent tragedy in "The Quiet Room" is when Lori called her phyciatrist late in the night, however; the phyciatrist was not willing to her Lori. Lori pleaded on begged the man over the phone but he gave no ground. "Please you have to help me.' She was begging the guy, but he didn't seem to be responding." (Schiller, Bennet, 2011, pg. 37). Eventually Lori gave up all hope of being saved from her torment and decided to take actions into her own hands; she would end up trying to kill herself as said here from the point of view of Lori's good friend who also happens to be named Lori, "Now as I looked past her, I saw empty bottles in the sink. I stood right in front of her. 'You took all those pills!" (Schiller, Bennet, 2011, pg. 37). Lori not only tried taking her own life, which is a tragedy in it'- self, but she greatly hurt her best friend who witnessed the horrible scene. Later her family would be notified and they too were extremely distraught; so this was not only a tragedy for Lori, but for her friends and family too. Now in "Oedipus" the tragedy was how the main character (Oedipus) killed his father and married his mother. "...I was fated to lie with my mother, and show daylight to an accursed breed which men would not endure, and I was doomed to be murderer of the father that begot me." It is a tragedy to anyone who has any kind of feeling toward their family members to kill your own father who has raised you and taught you how to be a man; and marrying the mother that bore you is also very morally corrupt. Oedipus could have prevented this however; by listening to Teiresias who is an oracle that can tell the future. Teiresias explains exactly the tragedy about to take place but Oedipus does not see it. "The difficulty of course lies in Oedipus' perspective. Believing that the situation contains what he sees in it (and nothing more), he not only fails to recognize the truth when it is placed before his eyes (i.e., his guilt) but ends up "seeing" what is not there..." (Kane, 1975, pg.191). This only builds to the tragedy because it is prophesied what would happen, but is ultimately irreversible.
ReplyDeleteKane, R. L. (1975). Prophecy and Perception in the Oedipus Rex. Transactions of the American Philological Association, 105, 191. Retrieved from https://www-jstor-org.snc.idm.oclc.org/stable/283940?searchText=oracle+in+oedipus+rex&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Doracle%2Bin%2Boedipus%2Brex&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A58a990f7c8f6565946d4ebd7369c4bda&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Do you think that Oedipus and Lori differ because Oedipus was never forgiven, seeing as he committed unforgivable sins. While Lori got many chances to improve herself, and her mental health. I also feel that Oedipus is to blame for his sins because it was his hubris that got in the way, Lori is mentally ill and could not help it. Elaborate.
DeleteResponse post above made by: Athena
DeleteI like the way you compared and contrasted the two characters this way. I like how you thought about the way Lori hurt her parents mentally with her mental struggles and oedipus physically. I also think that both are alike because both characters didn't target their parents intentionally. Lori didn't mean to hurt her parents like this and oedipus did unknowingly.
DeleteOf course Lori will be forgiven much easier because of that fact that she was lead astray by her mental illness, so yes I would say that Oedipus ad Lori differ because of the difference in nature of their struggles as well as the social stigma around Oedipus' crimes.
DeletePoseidon^^
DeleteIn my new novel The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell there are many different tragic elements displayed. The most obvious of which is that the character has a tragic flaw. Sam was born with a red pigment in his eyes that were, years later declared permanent by the doctor. “My father turned quickly to the obstetrician, who had entered the room and retaken his position at the foot of my mother’s bed. ‘His eyes are red. Why are his eyes red?’ “(Dugoni,2018, p12). In Oedipus Rex the main character Oedipus also suffers from a tragic flaw. Oedipus’ is more mental than physical however as his own personal pride and his naiveness get in the way of his life.So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this,You with your precious eyes,you’re blind to the corruption of your life,to the house you live in, those you live with.” This quote helps explain how large Oedipus’ ego is and how he thinks of himself quite highly. Both stories and main characters make mistakes due to poor judgment. Sam makes some wrong decisions in high school due to certain cravings he has such as sex and alcohol. “I thought maybe I’d found a girl who liked me despite my eyes but it turned out Mickie was right. I was Donna’s personal vibrator(Dugoni,2018,p234). Oedipus in search for power killed his father and this caused a plague to be cast over the city of Thebes and the new “king” Oedipus. In my database research I discovered information about the city fo Thebes. On the border of the city was a wall named the Achaean Wall. The Achaean Wall was built to protect the city as well as ships from damages. The wall had seven gates later know as the seven gates of Thebes. These gates were access points for chariots and travelers to come into the city. The greek gods later took down this wall however because it they were afraid it would pass in fame the walls in Troy that Apollo and Poseidon built. “Poseidon and Apollo, the builders of the by then ruined walls of Troy, sent rivers down the plain aided by Zeus who let it rain for nine days on end.(Singor, 1992, pp 401-402).
ReplyDeleteH. W. Singor. (1992). The Achaean Wall and the Seven Gates of Thebes. Hermes, 120(4), 401–411. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4476919
Do you think Oedipus could have avoided his sins, which ultimately led to his demise? Or was he destined for it like Sam was? Elaborate please.
DeleteThere was a really good journal from the Mulva Library I found that touched on this topic.
Dodds, E. R. (1966). On Misunderstanding the “Oedipus Rex.” Greece & Rome, 13(1), 37–49. http://www.jstor.org/stable/642354
I like the way that you compared Oedipus and Sam in regards to their own greed and wants getting ahead of them, and forcing them to make poor decisions, like Sam's choices in high school and Oedipus' murder of his father. Oedipus believed that despite the words of those around him, he would always come out on top.
DeleteI also think your database research relates to this topic in that the gods weren't too happy with 'mortals' trying to build great structures and reach a similar level to the gods, something which Oedipus seems to think of himself as.
Do you think they were both meant to have these flaws? Should these "flaws" actually just be a characteristic for them that made them more unique?
DeleteThere is definitely a level of selfishness interfering throughout the play. It seems almost every character has a reason to withhold information so as to not lose the power they possess.
DeleteI think Sam and Oedipus would have made much better decisions if they had a clear state of mind. Later in the book Sam does come to a realization that a lot of his childhood was pretty childish and silly and realizes that having red eyes was sort of a gift.
DeleteDo you think Oedipus’ ego is his own fault? After all he killed his own father, which put him in this powerful position in the first place. Is it tragic or his destiny?
DeleteI think that Oedipus was destined for it like Sam. In Greek mythology the power of the gods is above all. That power is believed and respected by all. Oedipus murdering his father was just a part of god's will in my opinion just like Sam having red eyes was god's will. I don't think either of them had much of a choice for the situation they were put into. Obviously Oedipus turned out much worse for the ware than Sam did but I think that was just a part of God's plan for him. God choose for Oedipus to be evil which was unfortunate for him but understandable due to the belief of gods in Greek Mythology. I believe that Oedipus would be okay with this evil casting because it is the power of the gods that caused it.
ReplyDeleteA characteristic in the qualities of a protagonist of a Greek tragedy is free will to make decisions. I think on some level God didn't make Oedipus a "evil" person, he chose to make sinister decisions and rule in a tyronous way, with malice created of his own anger. To put off the blame onto a "God's plan" would almost be justifying his wrong doings and sending a message that his actions are okay.
Delete- Alecstis
DeleteI wouldn't say that it's okay what Oedipus did. I think it was just a premeditated plan the gods had that Oedipus would be an evil being.
DeleteIn my book The Quiet Room, Lori Schiller was the most ideal student and child. She was brought up by the most loving parents in the most loving home. Lori’s parents Marvin and Nancy always pushed Lori todo her absolute best in anything she set her mind to. She was the role model to her siblings and her brothers wanted to be just like her. She was on track to live a great easy life until one summer at camp she started hearing voices. I feel like the most tragic part in this book is when the voices started. When the voices started the life she had known ended. I have actually read things online about this book and most of the things I see are that people believe the most tragic parts are about her drug addition, in and out hospital stays, or suicide attempts. The reason I do not feel that these altercations are the most tragic is because after that summer the Lori Schiller everyone knew and loved was gone forever and would never return. “The Lori I knew was gone. And in her place was a stranger, a person who seemed to be living only partly in this world, and partly in a faraway world of her own making….The illness had captured her, and was part of her” (Schiller, pg.49). A was hubris is shown in The Quiet Room like Oedipus is shown though pride. Oedipus seems like he is letting his pride come before his helping hand. I feel like his pride is getting in front of helping people and himself. Lori goes into the hospital for a second time and this time she states, “...So the second time around wasn't going to be any fun. All those admitting people would be sorry. I would make them sorry” (Schiller, pg. 142). She is too prideful and wants everyone to realize she doesn't need help and that she is normal and that everyone has voices too that she doesn't except the help.
ReplyDelete^^Cite and link for data base: Picchioni, M. M., & Murray, R. M. (2007). Schizophrenia. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 335(7610), 91–95. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40701056
DeleteI like that you said the tragedy occurred somewhere not everyone else thinks it is. From the little bit i read on here, I agree with you. Try to relate the characters of Oedipus to Lori somehow. Oedipus has a tragic downfall and maybe Lori does as well.
DeleteThe main character of Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya, holds no high status or position, nearly no influence from other (she is very independent in her decision making), hardly changes in status throughout the book, does not have a tragic flaw, and does not lose anything in the end. Therefore, I would not consider this book a tragedy. She lives in islolation and therfor has very little outer influence, “ ‘Please don't talk to me about isolation. No one has to tell me how it changes a person. I have lived it. I am isolation,’ Kya whispered with a slight edge.” (Owens, 2018 pg 237). However, it does share the simular aspect of the main charecter not being good, nor evil. Kya displays acts of graceousness towards wildlife by feeding gulls and other animals, and learning and teaching the ways of the marsh, yet is colder to people, due to the fact that she was exiled, abandoned, and abused throughout the entirity of her life. She was never shown kindness, and therefor never gave kindness, and performed some heinous acts (no spoilers:) ) directed toward other people. Who is to say, who has not lived in her shoes, whether she is justified or not, good or evil?
ReplyDeleteMy database research was on Thebes and Corinth. Through this I found Thebes is a powerful city-state located North of Athens and Corinth in Greece. It hosted many famous people including Hercules and Greek poet, Pindar, and also held an important role in the play Edipus. Thebes would often switch alliances in war from the Spartans to the Athens and back. Simularly, Corinth is famous for architecture and wealth. Corinth is located by two seaports, making trading very accessible to this city-state, therfor bringing in riches very quick and easily.
Haldon, J. (n.d.). Athens, Thebes, and Corinth. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/place/Greece/Athens-Thebes-and-Corinth.
In the book Where The Crawdads Sing the main character, Kya was abandoned at a young age. She became detached and struggled to open up to the other characters in the book. This relates to the play Oedipus because Oedipus also has family issues. He was adopted and I think that's what causes him to be so stubborn. Oedipus is very closed-minded and seems to not work well with other people kinda like how Kya is scared to let people help her. “Just as she had to figure out most things, Kya figured out how to be a woman on her own.” (Delia Owens, 2018, p 120) This quote shows she was very independent throughout the book. Oedipus also shows independence when he left his adoptive parents due to the oracle he saw. I think the whole tragedy of Oedipus starts with his parents leaving and I also believe that's the case for Kya as well. “And if one does not have a good father, one must provide oneself with one.” (Strong, T. B. 1981 p.311) Oedipus was left to become a man on his own almost exactly like Kya.
ReplyDeleteDatabase: Strong, T. B. (1981). Oedipus as Hero: Family and Family Metaphors in Nietzsche. Boundary 2, 9/10, 311–335. https://doi.org/10.2307/303125
Does Kya know who her real parents are, or has she forgotten in a similar way to Oedipus? I liked the comparison and contrast when it comes to father figures, with Kya trying to find inspiration in others like Oedipus. Oedipus, however, seems to always seek the affirmation of his followers and refuses anything that could be degrading to his public image, due to his hubris. "How needlessly your riddles darken everything." (Sophocles, 1991, p.290)
DeleteDoes Kya open up at all later in the book? A period of growth could benefit her with leadership aspects. A time where she overcame her independence and started speaking and making connections with people. Are there any other obvious leadership qualities that Kya has?
DeleteWhere are the replies to this?
DeleteAlso, typically to cite poetry, use lines and not pages for Sophocles, but I do appreciate the APA attempt Sisyphus
DeleteDue to online issues, students will not be penalized for submitting in the last 12-24 hours if in before 3 p.m. today.
ReplyDeleteI think my book "Girl, Interrupted" and "Oedipus" are similar because they both share tragic qualities. In "Oedipus", Oedipus kills his father and is having a lot of hubris. In "Girl, Interrupted" all of these girls spend so much of their lives in McLean Hospital that they can never get back and the things they see when they are in the hospital will stick with them for life. For example they were around
ReplyDelete"'Girls,' said the head nurse, ' I have some sad news.' We all leaned forward. 'Daisy committed suicide yesterday.' 'Was she in her apartment?' asked Georgina. 'Did she shoot herself?' asked Polly. 'Who's Daisy? Do I know Daisy?' asked the Martian's girlfriend. 'Did she leave a note?' I asked. 'The details aren't important,' said the head nurse. 'It was her birthday, wasn't it?' asked Lisa. The head nurse nodded. We all observed a moment of silence for Daisy." (Kaysen,1993, pg.35)
While all of the girls were in the hospital, they missed out on a lot of things that were happening on the outside and could only hear about it on TV.
"The world didn't stop because we weren't in it anymore; far from it. Night after night tiny bodies fell to the ground on our TV screen: black people, young people, Vietnamese people, poor people---some dead, some only bashed up for the moment. There were always more of them to replace the fallen and join them the next night." (Kaysen, 1993, pg. 92)
In "Girl, Interrupted", the Doctor that sent Susanna to McLean could be seen as having bad judgement for how much reason he had to send her to McLean, which is a characteristic of a tragedy. "That doctor says he interviewed me for three hours. I say it was twenty minutes. Twenty minutes between my walking in the door and his deciding to send me to McLean." (Kaysen, 1993, pg. 71)
In Ancient Greece women were not equal to men and this is researched by a woman, Marilyn Katz. "In the last section, 'Race, Culture, and Sexuality,' I begin with an analysis of the phrase 'oriental seclusion.' I then take up the theory of the constitution of a woman as a separate race, based on eighteenth-century reevaluations of ancient medical theory, within the context of the development of racial theory overall. (Katz, 1992, pg.2)
Katz, M (1992) Ideology and "The Status of Women" in Ancient Greece
Deletehttps://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=690bea20-f232-4109-b569-763cf6828c73%40redis
what are other examples that relates your book to a tragedy such as Oedipus? do any of the characters show examples of hubris?
DeleteIn the book Where the Crawdads Sing, Kya is in denial about her relationship consisting of lies, just one of the many tragedies within this story. Kya is in love with this boy that seems to be in love with her as well. One day one of her friends tells her he is with multiple other women and she is in denial about what she is being told. Tate, her friend and ex boyfriend told her "You don't live in town. You don't know what Chase goes out with other women. Just the other night I watched him drive away after a party with a blonde in his pickup. He's not good enough for you." She is beginning to trust people and when one of the people she used to trust tells her that the man she is with and trusts has been deceiving her under her nose she really doesn't want to believe that. Oedipus was also in denial about what was being told to him about his relationship, Oedipus was told by Teiresias "when you shall learn the secret of your marriage, which steered you to a haven in this house, haven no haven, after lucky voyage?"(Sophocles, 1991, pg 28, ln 423-425) He was in denial about what he just heard, he then stated "It is endurable that I should hear such words from him? Go and curse go with you! Quick, home with you! Out of my house at once!" (Sophocles, pg 29, ln 429-431) These tragedies that they both endure that are about the ones they love really affect them and both deny it till they finally realize and find out more about the truth and realize they were true.
ReplyDeleteDatabase: Lattimore, S (1975) Oedipus and Teiresias, California studies in Classical Antiquity pg 105-111
https://doi-org.snc.idm.oclc.org/10.2307/25010685
Great comparison between characters. Besides being an example of denial, could this also be an example of hubris? I know that Oedipus was for sure prideful which caused him to believe nothing so immoral could happen to him.
DeleteI have a similar example in my book. It doesn't happen to the main character but it happens around her. The main character has a brother who is in a relationship that is not healthy for the women in the relationship. It ends up being similar to a tragedy because that girl ends up losing a part of herself in the situation.
DeleteI agree, the situation is very tragic. When she realizes everyone is right she probably feels absolutely destroyed. She trusted him so much that despite all other reasoning she believed in him and their relationship. Her efforts completely failed.
DeleteSphinx
DeleteThe book I am reading is the quiet room where the main character lori faces many obstacles. Lori is a very intelligent individual, in the beginning of the novel her first set back is the voices. When she first begins hearing the voices she experiences hubris and tries to pretend there is nothing wrong with her. She attempts to put the voices behind her when she focuses on her studies, but it's not long before they return. When the voices return they become harsher and lead to her attempting suicide. After her second attempt her father begins to have hubris himself as he begins to blame himself for lori’s condition “ Its all my fault” ( Schiller and Bennett, 65, 2011). After lori is released from the hospital she looks into getting a job as a waitress, while working as a waitress she becomes addicted to cocaine. Her parents realize it and with the help of her psychiatrist Dr.Rockland they are able to get lori help. After her treatment lori decides she should become a mental healthcare worker and she begins to work in facilities similar to the one she stayed in. At first she thought it was doing her good until she begins to decline in mental health where she once again attempts suicide, this time though she realises she needs help. In the tragedy of Oedipus, we see many examples of hubris from Oedipus when his pride is challenged. We see this when Teiresias comes and tries to say that Oedipus killed his father which we find out is King Laius.which happens to be one of the oracles told to him during his childhood.”In a veiled way Teiresias tries to tell Oedipus why he does not wish to speak, but Oedipus believes he is balking for a completely different reason”(Lesser, 176, 1967). When Oedipus’s adopted father dies he believes that his oracle was not true but what he doesn't know is that when he killed king laius he actually killed father.
ReplyDeleteLesser, S. O. (1967). Oedipus the King: The Two Dramas, the Two Conflicts. College English, 29(3), 175–197. https://doi.org/10.2307/374681
It sounds to me that Kya was influenced by some people when you mentioned that she was colder to other people due to being abandoned or abused, and therefore did not show much kindness either. I do like how you included how her status never changed throughout the book though.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a comparison of the two books using hubris to show how it may cause damage or influence people in negative ways, but it is somewhat unclear to me that this comparison is being made. Maybe this could be cleared up a little bit.
ReplyDeleteMy book,’ Educated’ does not follow the “guidelines” of being a tragedy, however, it does contain strong elements of a tragedy. Tara’s father displays characteristics of a tragedy. Tara’s parents had not enrolled her in any form of formal education in her life which gave her an immediate disadvantage compared to everyone else around her. This is mainly because of her father, Gene. He used to be a normal, caring father and husband. But somewhere along the way, he became obsessed with the idea that God had a plan for him and his family which caused him to go completely off the grid. Gene was determined to pursue his destiny and serve the Lord. This is why he never enrolled his kids in school or anything ‘immoral’. “The Lord has called me to testify,’ he said. ‘He is displeased. You have cast aside His blessings to whore after man’s knowledge. His wrath is stirred against you. It will not be long in coming.” Gene thinks that the pursuit of any knowledge other than the Bible is a sin. In Oedipus, the characters are insignificant compared to the gods/ divine powers, but they pursue knowledge about their reason for being. Gene from Educated and the characters in Oedipus share a view, they desire to know what their divine plan is laid out by God or gods while also bearing the hardships of their own insignificance and insolence. The pursuit of this knowledge very easily leads to the downfall of the character in question. In Gene’s case, he shows hubris. He will not be questioned by anyone but God, and when questioned about his beliefs, he becomes angry and curses them.
ReplyDeleteDatabase Citation:
Silberman, L. (1986). God and Man in “Oedipus Rex.” College Literature, 13(3), 292–299. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25111712
Citation for Educated quote: (Westover, 2018, p. 133).
DeleteDo you think Kya's abandonment issues is her tragic flaw? Therefore making the book a tragedy? It might not be the same type but could it be some kind of tragic story. Kay goes through so many events that change her life forever and all of these events change her way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a way to make these setbacks seem more tragic is stating how they affected her and how she bounced back from them. Did any of these losses affect her emotionally and physically? A way maybe that the main character is related to Oedipus is that they both lose people, like Oedipus's parents and maybe the main characters'losses were close to her.
ReplyDeleteIn the quiet room Lori is so proud of herself and hopeful for the future. Everyone loves her. She is successful in every possible form. She has parents who loves her and encourage her to become her best self. This success comes to a tragic and unexpected challenge. She is enjoying her time at summer camp until she has a rude awakening while trying to sleep. She starts to hear voices that tell her terrible lies about herself. She has to leave summer camp unexpectedly, also realizing that she has mental issues going on. This is tragic because her life completely changes fast and unexpectedly. The book remains tragic as the voices come and go at random. The voices are similar to the Sphinx in Oedipus because, similar the the voices, The Sphinx tried to stop Oedipus from reaching his destination of Febes (success for Lori).
ReplyDeleteData Base Citation:
Comea, A., & Mudure, M. (2010). Oedipus and the Sphinx. World Literature Today, 84(5), 37–37. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27871189
From Sphinx
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